The Birth of a Resilience Organization: How the Mid-Atlantic RISA is Beginning to Increase Climate Resilience in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

The NOAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (MARISA) program was formed in September 2016 to increase climate resilience in the Mid-Atlantic, with an initial focus on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. In this talk, we will discuss how the program’s unique structure and approach are designed to advance resilience to a changing climate through actionable data sets, place-based decision support, and public engagement. Topics will include the program’s focus on decision-making under uncertainty and the co-development of adaptation strategies between scientists and stakeholders. The talk will conclude with results from MARISA’s first activity of interviewing officials and stakeholders in the region to understand and prioritize the most pressing decisions, investments, and plans under consideration today that are currently or projected to be impacted by a changing climate.